In Search of the Baychimo
by zealprophet27
Summary: This is the story of Maureen Epps' little sister, and how she has to pay for Maureen's mistakes on the Graza a year ago. Someone is looking for revenge in the most unlikely places, and doesn't see the dead protector that follows Maureen's sister. OC/Munder fanfic. Rated M due to possible graphic imagery and to play it safe.
1. The Beginning

**A/N: Okay, so here it goes. This is the second fanfic that I've written, and of a completely different genre. I'm still primarily focused on my Stargate story, so this may not be updated as much as I'd like, unless it becomes just as popular as the Stargate story. I've got about 4 chapters pre-written, so bare with me. I know that this is one of those "What happened X amount of time after the movie ended" stories, but I've got this all figured out, I just need to write it all down on paper, so to speak. And I'm babbling...Enjoy!**

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If you had asked me a year ago where I would see my life, this wouldn't have been on my list. Aside from my older sister, I don't know how many girls who would want to be stuck working on a tugboat for a living.

To better understand what happened a year ago, I should say that it wasn't always like this. A year ago, I was studying at a University to be a doctor, but then, the phone call came.

The call was a complicated one. It was a psychiatric doctor, wanting me to come in for a consultation. After stating that I wasn't in need of therapy, and that there must be some sort of mistake, the doctor clarified to me that it wasn't for me, but for my sister.

I haven't seen my sister in years, due to my studying, and my sister was busy running her business on her tugboat with her best friend and mentor, Murphy. Murphy had helped my sister out of a bad business deal that almost cost her life. After that moment, the two of them had spent several months talking to each other, and within a year, they had devised a business to pull sinking boats back into harbor. When this business started, my sister and I had a falling out.

My older sister, Maureen, would be lucky to come home for the holidays. When she did come home, she didn't stay around for long. I remember her telling me that I was the lucky one. She explained to me that I had a whole future laid out before me, that I would never have to work in her world. She told me at that moment, how envious she was of me, and to never lose sight of my dreams of becoming a doctor.

So as you can imagine, getting this phone call, was a shock. Maureen was always the strong one, the tough one, the one that could stand up for herself. I was not like my sister. She was always the one to defend me, and beat up those who teased me or treated me poorly. It was hard to hear that she was in the hospital, and would possibly be sent into the psychiatric ward. After the phone call, I dropped out of the University. I got onto a bus, and made the long trek to Alaska to visit my older sister in the hospital.

I walked up the cobblestone steps of the psychiatric hospital in Juneau, Alaska. I reached for the loose doorknob, turned it and crossed the open threshold. I approached the front desk and waited for the young receptionist to get off the phone. I looked around the main room, and watched several patients just...being. They seemed so lifeless. Soon, I heard the girl clearing her throat. My attention came back to her as she asked," Can I help you?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm here for a consult with Maureen Epps' doctor," I stated clearly.

The girl looked bored as she flipped through charts. Finally, she looked back up and said," Room 402. Top floor. Left wing."

"Thank you," I said as I approached the elevator.

As I rode the elevator, I noticed that there was no music. The lighting was poor. It was depressing. I suddenly began to worry about how Maureen was faring in a place like this.

The elevator stopped on the top floor. I stepped off and continued down the hall towards the room that the girl at the receptionist's desk. I stopped outside the room. Taking a deep breath, I walked in.

The doctor looked up from his chart to meet my gaze. He lowered the clipboard and walked up to me with an extended hand," Ms. Epps, nice of you to come."

I shook his hand," Thank you, doctor."

He motioned me to come further into the room. I followed him, and stopped at the foot of the bed, next to him.

My eyes fell upon a familiar face, lying in the bed. There was my older sister, in an almost comatose state. I almost cried by looking at her.

The doctor stated," She comes in and out of her unresponsive state."

"Why is she in this state?" I asked, choking back tears.

"She has suffered from an extreme amount of stress. Her body has also suffered a lot of trauma," he started reading off of the chart.

"What kind of trauma? What stress? Stress from her business?" I interrupted. When the doctor turned to look at me, I said," I'm sorry for interrupting you, I just don't understand..."

The doctor sighed," She was found several miles from the Bering Strait. She had been in the water for several hours. We really don't know for how long. When she is sleeping, once in a while, we hear her screaming."

"Screaming what? And why was she in the Bering Strait?" I was confused, and worried.

"She shouts names. When we come in to calm her down, she is crying, and trying to fight some of our staff members," the doctor stated. After seeing my face, as I stared at my sister, he asked," What did your sister do for a living, Ms. Epps?"

I stammered at first, but pulled myself together," She-she was a co-owner of a tugboat company..."

"That would explain why she was in the sea, when she was found." The doctor put the chart back into the tray. "We have tried to contact her crew, but no one has seen them for weeks."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means, Ms. Epps, that it is possible that something happened out in the Strait, and your sister is the only one who survived." I looked back at my sister, as the doctor continued," Now, I will allow you some time to visit with her, spend some time with her, as she will be admitted here, until further notice. When you're finished visiting, come back to the front desk, and we will have some papers for you to sign." I nodded and he left the room, closing the door behind him.

It wasn't long before a knock was heard on the door. A short man dressed in a pin-striped suit walked in. He asked," I'm sorry, I'm looking for a Miss Ellie Epps?"

"That's me...Mister-" I sniffled.

"Oh, excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Mister Worthington. I was your sister's lawyer and business accountant," he explained.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Worthington?" I asked politely.

He spoke," Well, you see, we just received word that your dear sister is in a comatose state, and well...that's not good."

"How so? I assume you mean it's not good for business," I asked for clarification.

He stuttered," Of course, I didn't mean any harm. I do, however, want to bring something to your attention. She had a large withholding set aside, that states in the business contract that she would have to work for a minimum of three years, before she would get that money. The contract states that if she cannot work, or find someone to replace her if she is unfit to return to work, whatever the circumstances, that the money would be nullified."

"What do you mean by that? Why would her withholdings be nullified? Isn't that her money?" I stood listening to his every word.

He cleared his throat," In a sense, yes. But it's like borrowing against the company that she co-owned. It's like a loan."

"Why would she do that?" I pondered out loud, not really looking for an answer.

Worthington replied," It states in her record that she did it for you."

"Me? Why would she do that for me?" I asked, shocked.

"She has it written here...let me see...Ah! There it is," he pointed on the paper as he turned it for me to read, but he read it out loud anyways," To pay for your medical schooling."

I closed my eyes and sighed. Dropping my head in defeat. Knowing what was to happen, I asked," What do I have to do?"

The man smiled," All you have to do, is finish the time allotted in the contract. Then you can sell the company, or keep it, but either way, that money would be yours."

"I don't know anything about running a business, let alone a salvaging business," I replied.

"That's where I can help you," he stated.

I looked up at him," What do you mean?"

"I know a few people who know the trade and are in need of work. I can make a few phone calls, and help you set it up," he replied.

I smiled," That would be very nice of you, Mr. Worthington. I really appreciate it."

"It's the least that I could do. Your sister was a respected client, and I want to make sure her best interests are handled properly. I have some calls to make, then." He stood and when he reached the door, he looked over his left shoulder and stated," She loved you, you know. You were always a topic of interest for her. She even displayed your pictures in her office." With that, Mr. Worthington smiled warmly and left.

I looked from the door that he walked out of, back to my sister. I maneuvered my chair to sit closer to her side of the bed. I held her hand and asked," What happened, Maureen? What happened out there? How can I help you, if I don't know what to do?"

I felt her hand tighten around mine. I looked up to see her smiling at me. She started to speak, but it was dry. I grabbed the cup of water, and let her drink from the straw. Once she finished, she whispered," Thank you."

"How are you doing?" I asked, putting the paper cup back down on the table.

She looked at me with a seriousness," What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I was called and I came as soon as I could," I explained.

"I told them not to call you," she whispered back.

I looked at her confused," But why? What's happened?"

Maureen closed her eyes, and I saw her tears fall freely down her cheeks. I wiped them off as they fell. She opened her eyes," It's really you, isn't it?"

"Of course it's me...Maureen...Talk to me," I practically begged," What happened out in the Strait? Where's Murphy and the rest of your crew?"

She choked on her tears, before completely bawling her eyes out," Dead! They're all dead, and it's my fault!"

After sitting there watching her cry her eyes out, realizing that she wouldn't be able to say much more, and needing to rest, I left the room, promising to visit again. I walked to the elevator, and pushed the button. I could still hear her wailing from the end of that hallway.

When I finally got downstairs, I was thankful. The air didn't seem as heavy from the front desk, as it felt everywhere else. I signed the paperwork that they asked of me, and I walked out the front door, down the stone steps, and towards the harbor, where my journey, and my nightmare would begin.


	2. The Job Offer

**A/N: Another chapter for you! I hope that you'll stick with me, as things will get pretty interesting very quickly. As much as I like providing history on characters, it can be rather boring to read later. And here you go...enjoy!**

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A year later, my older sister, Maureen, was still in that hospital. She had starting making improvements, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared. When she found out that I was running her business for the next two years, to help pay off her loan, she freaked out. She began screaming, crying, cursing...I hadn't been back to see her since, but I kept in touch with the doctor and the staff, just to make sure that she was okay.

The new crew that Mr. Worthington sent me, had been a blessing, as I had formed strong bonds with all of them. The only downside, was that they all viewed me as their little sister that needed protecting from everything. If it was raining outside, they wouldn't let me go out to check equipment. As much as I was grateful for their thoughtfulness, it made working rather difficult and boring.

We were heading back into the harbor in Juneau, pulling our latest salvage. The crew was ecstatic that this was the last job before the big vacation break that we had all been hoping for.

When we docked in the port, I headed straight for the client, while the rest of the crew dealt with the ship we hauled in. I didn't have to say anything, the look on the client's face was enough," I didn't think you could pull it off, Epps."

I smiled," Thank you."

The man was clearly annoyed by my politeness and that I just saved his sinking ship, but didn't say anything more. He just paid me in cash.

With the cash in my hand, I smiled again, and warmly said," Thank you very much! I hope to do business with you again, soon!"

The man didn't look happy, but walked away to inspect his almost lost ship.

I walked into the crowded bar that the crew always flocked to after a long day of work, or a long week of work. This was the place that they wanted to be to relax, and I couldn't deny them that. I was never comfortable in places like this, but I couldn't tell them no. I reached the usual table, and placed the stack of hard earned money on the beer-stained table.

Each person took turns going around the table to withdraw their share. The crew was pretty small, all things considered. My sister had six, including herself and Murphy. There were only four of us. I still felt like I could be doing more, but the crew would have none of it.

"Here's to a job well done!" the first mate, Jerry shouted as he held his beer bottle up in the air. The others followed in suit.

"What's next?" our engineer, Peter asked.

"You're such a workaholic, you know that, Peter? Can't you just enjoy the time off?" the spot welder, Troy asked.

I laughed," You guys have worked really hard all week. You deserve some time off for a while. Does two weeks sound like enough time?"

Jerry spoke up," Well, there is a job offer that I wanted to mention, before we decided to go on vacation."

"Job offer? From whom? What's the job?" I asked, surprised that he was offered a job.

Jerry swallowed his beer and leaned forward, pulling out a piece of paper from his front pocket in his jean jacket," I was contacted by a man who found this ship in the Beaufort Sea."

"Beaufort Sea?" Troy repeated.

Jerry ignored Troy and showed the copies of the aerial pictures of a ship in the sea. Everyone reached for the pictures, but I managed to grab one. I inspected the picture closely.

"Do we know what the name of the ship is?" I asked, staring at the big ship on the picture.

A smile brushed Jerry's lips," Baychimo."

My eyes fluttered up to meet his," What?"

He smiled," You heard me."

Troy asked," Wait, I'm lost. What's the Baychee-"

"The Baychimo was last seen in the Beaufort Sea in 1969. It hasn't been seen since," Peter explained.

Troy looked at everyone around the table," Am I the only one here that isn't familiar with this ship?"

Ignoring his question, I asked one of my own," Who brought this to you?"

Jerry cleared his throat," His name is Ryan Charon. He works at the air strip responsible for sending out the ice patrollers."

I looked at the images again. I sighed. For some reason, there was something about this that just didn't set well with me.

Jerry asked," So? What do you think?" I could tell that he was eager to do this.

"How much are we talking for this job?" Troy asked.

"If we can bring in the ship, we'll be millionaires," Jerry stated.

As those words left his mouth, the rest of my crew decided that they wanted to do this job. They didn't care about their vacation anymore. They looked to me for the green light. I looked up from the image and met three pairs of eyes, all staring at me.

"Do we have the coordinates to get to this ship?" I asked.

Jerry smiled," Yes, and we'll have Ryan joining us."

I was confused," Why would he be joining us?"

"He knows where it is, and he's the one paying us. He wants to be there, to see how much it really is worth. I told him that it would be fine, I mean, we have the room," Jerry stated.

I sighed again, and after seeing the looks on the guys' faces, I said in a defeated tone," Fine."


	3. The Dream

That night, as I lay in my bed, I couldn't get over this offer. Why would someone bring this to us? There were a hundred different salvaging companies that were far better equipped for this job than we were, not just in the equipment standpoint, but the man-power as well. It wasn't long before I fell asleep and had a dream that I would never forget.

_I was standing in my sister's apartment ,and I was looking at the painting that hung in her hallway. It was the painting that I felt that I had seen and looked at each time I was there, though I couldn't remember if it was even something she ever had in her apartment.. It was a beautiful landscape of a little house in the middle of an Autumnal forest, with a shining lake off to the right side of it. But the more that I looked at the painting, the more detail I saw. Something caught my eye in the forest of this painting. It was a body, a dead body. The more that I stared at the painting, the more bodies I was finding. I couldn't pull away from it, and I started to smell smoke, gunpowder and blood, I started to hear screams. _

_ Just when I thought that I was getting pulled into the scary painting, the doorbell to my sister's apartment rang. I was able to blink away from the strong hold the painting had over me, and turned to answer the door. My sister wasn't home, but I knew that she would be at any moment. I reached the door and turned the doorknob to open the door._

_ Standing in front of me, was a friend of my sister's. I felt like I knew him well. He was quieter than the others, but he didn't look like what I remembered him as. He was clean, and dressed well. I stared at him, not sure what to do._

_ He smiled at me," Hi Ellie! You look great!"_

_ I still couldn't think of his name, nor if this really was the same man," You too..."_

_ "Can I come in?" he asked, smiling. His hazel eyes sparkled with his smile._

_ "Oh, sorry. Sure, make yourself at home," I stepped out of the way as he entered. He smelled good too. Maybe I'm thinking of someone else._

_ He turned to look at me with a seriousness," I have to ask, but what are you doing?"_

_ I looked at him confused," What do you mean?"_

_ He approached me," I know that you've accepted a job offer to find the Baychimo."_

_ "How do you know about that?" I asked," I haven't even told Maureen, yet."_

_ He sighed," Ellie...You don't remember me, do you?"_

_ I looked him up and down," Of course I...no, not really."_

_ "My name's James Munder. I'm a friend of your sister's. The last time I saw you, you were about 18 and heading to medical school," he stated._

_ I nodded," I remember the name, but you don't look like anything him." I realized how that sounded, but he just smiled._

_ "I've managed to clean up my act. Besides, how else am I to get a girl like you by looking like a homeless man?" he joked._

_ I blushed," So, how do you know about the Baychimo?" I had to change the subject before I embarrassed myself._

_ He looked over at me," Don't do this job. It isn't safe."_

_ "Isn't safe? What do you mean?" I questioned._

_ He sat down on the couch, and stated," I meant what I said...it's not safe. For your protection, you need to decline this job. It's not too late."_

_ Before I was able to reply, there was a heavy knock on the door._

_ "Don't answer that!" he ordered._

_ I looked at him surprised," Why?"_

_ He stood up and approached me," Because it could be him."_

_ "Him who?" I asked, as the knock happened again._

_ He glanced at the door, then back to me," Ferriman."_

_ "Who?" I asked confused._

_ Munder asked me," Did Epps not tell you?"_

_ I looked up into his hazel eyes," Tell me what?"_

_ "What happened to us?" he whispered as he brushed a strand of my dark hair away from my face._

_ "What happened to you?" I whispered back. My palms grew sweaty, and the knocking at the door became more persistent._

_ Munder had to shout over the knocking," We died. A man who called himself, Jack Ferriman had approached us for a job...we accepted, and we all died."_

_ The door sounded like it would come off the hinges. I looked at Munder," I don't know a Ferriman!"_

_ The door flew off the hinges and came flying towards us. I couldn't move and watched as the heavy metal door made it's approach towards me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact._

I woke with a start. Sweat dripping off of me, and my heart racing. I didn't know who this Ferriman was, but if I was being told in my dreams to watch out for this man, it made me nervous about this job suddenly. Maureen had told me that her crew had died, but she couldn't tell me anything else, before being hospitalized. Needless to say, I didn't sleep after that.


	4. The New Recruit & The Baychimo

**A/N: Another sort of boring chapter...more story set up. Yay! *groans*. As I have mentioned in my other fanfic story, I'm in the process of moving, so I'll try to get this updated as often as I can, but if you don't see anything, please, just bear with me, as moving sucks! Enjoy!**

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The next morning, we were sitting in port in Juneau, loading up supplies, when a young man walked up to our tugboat. He was tall and average in build. He ran his right hand through his dark hair. It wasn't until he walked up to the boat that I noticed his grey blue eyes piercing through my soul.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the Murphy Salvaging Company," he said smoothly.

I looked at him cautiously," That's us."

He extended his right hand," I'm Ryan Charon. I talked with Jerry about the job to bring in the Baychimo."

I shook his hand," Nice to meet you, Mr. Charon."

"Please, call me Ryan," he smiled flirtatiously.

I let go of his hand, suddenly nervous.

Jerry came down the deck of the tugboat. When he saw Ryan, he shouted as he waved," Hey man! You made it!"

Ryan smiled and waved back.

Without permission, Ryan walked onto the ship and headed towards Jerry.

I stood there, watching him roam freely on the ship. Peter walked up to me, carrying more supplies. "What's up?"

I looked at him, then back to Ryan," I'm not sure I trust this guy."

"Who? Him? Is that him?" Peter asked, adjusting the supplies he held.

I nodded," I don't know why, but he gives me the creeps. I have red flags going up when I look at him."

Peter adjusted the box in his hands, again," I know that you are usually pretty good about your instincts, but you know that you had those feelings about Troy, right?"

"Troy still creeps me out, Peter. I just know why now," I sighed, recalling the day that he hit on me and five other women at the same time.

Peter walked onto the ship," Just give him a chance. It could be just the first impression, sort of thing."

As Peter walked away, I just sighed and shook me head.

We were on the open sea, heading in the direction that Ryan provided for us. Though we didn't have any exact spot to travel to, we knew the currents, and had a pretty good guess where to start.

Jerry was the one on the wheel. As he stood there, he drank some more of his coffee. It wasn't long before he reached for his stool. Sitting down, to be more comfortable, he drank the rest of his coffee.

Troy and Ryan were down below decks talking about everything and anything. I sat across the room from them, next to Peter, watching them becoming best friends.

Peter whispered," They seem to be getting along well."

"I've noticed," I whispered back, after sipping from my hot herbal tea.

Laughter erupted from across the room. We looked up to see Troy and Ryan practically crying from whatever joke they were sharing. I looked over to Peter for an explanation, at which point he just shrugged.

Jerry's voice rang down into our main room," Ellie, you may want to come up here for a moment."

I swallowed the tea that was burning my tongue. I handed Peter my cup and headed up to the bridge.

Once I arrived, I asked Jerry," What do you see?"

Jerry turned to see me," There was something in front of us just now."

I peered out the glass. It was pitch black outside, and you couldn't see more than a couple feet in front of the boat. I looked back at Jerry.

"I'm telling you...I saw something," he stated.

"Are you sure that you're not just tired? Do you need a break?" I questioned.

Jerry sighed," I'm not tired. I just drank a pot of coffee..." after realizing what he said, he added," That doesn't help my case, does it?"

I smiled but didn't say anything. Instead, I grabbed the walkie and spoke into the receiver," Troy, can you get on the spot light, please?"

Jerry looked at me, "Why Troy?"

"He's not doing anything important," I stated.

Within a few moments, the spot light turned on and illuminated the dark ocean in front of us. Visibility was now a few yards out instead of a couple feet. As we stood there, gazing out the window, we searched for whatever it was that Jerry had seen.

I was ready to give up, when we could see the light bouncing back towards us. I gasped, but no sound came out. Jerry had thought quickly and made sure to hit the brakes as we approached the slow moving ship that lay before us.

When our ship finally stopped next to this strange and badly worn ship, we were only inches from hitting it.

We stood there, in awe, and shock of what we were staring at. The spot light flashed the hull, and written clear as day was the word, _Baychimo_.

Jerry whispered," We found it! Holy crap!"

I couldn't pull my eyes from the ship. There was something so mesmerizing about it. Yet, I also was fully aware that every hair on my body was standing at attention, and goose bumps were forming across my arms.

Ryan's voice pulled me from my daydreaming of the ship," Shit! It's real! I honestly didn't think that it was..."

I blinked a few times, holding my tongue, as I didn't want to say anything rude.


	5. Entranced

**A/N: I have finally moved into my new place...however, I am still surrounded and outnumbered by boxes. I feel like I am falling behind, so please, stick with me. I'm hoping to continue my focus and efforts on the story as soon as I am roughly 80% unpacked! Thank you devoted readers! Enjoy this new chapter!**

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We decided that it would be best if we only sent up two people to look around. We didn't know what we were dealing with, as this ship has been missing since the late sixties. We also knew enough to know that it could be a deathtrap waiting to happen, if there were too many people walking about, and because we had Troy and Ryan, I knew that something bad was going to happen, whether it was a mistake or not, I didn't want that on my plate of things to deal with.

Peter and I were the ones to go on board. When we set foot onto the rusted deck plates of this vessel, you could see the weather-worn metals, and the frayed ropes that were tangled among the ship's deck. We slowly and carefully inched our way across the cluttered deck, and toward the door that would allow us access into the great unknown.

I heard my walkie turn on," Ellie, just remember to give us updates periodically...We don't want anything to happen to you guys."

"Thank Jerry, I didn't forget," I replied into the receiver, and then lowered it back to my belt. I looked over my right shoulder at Peter," Ready?"

We walked through the door, and turned our flashlights on. The strange thing about being on this ship, was how dirty, yet organized this ship was. We flashed our lights around the room, as we stood deathly still. We didn't want to make any wrong steps, as we weren't sure the exact condition of the vessel.

Suddenly, chills ran down my spine. We could hear wind whipping through the broken windows. Peter must have seen the fear creep upon my face, as he suggested in a timely manner," Perhaps we should head back..."

I nodded in agreement, as we turned to leave. That's when my eyes fell upon something that was very familiar to me. Instead of walking out the door and back to the safety of our vessel, I walked towards this painting that hung on the wall, across the room.

Peter had reached the metal door, and stopped when he heard my footsteps walking away from him. He turned to see where I was headed," What are you doing? Let's go back."

"Give me a moment," I replied, without looking at him.

I stopped in front of the painting and gazed at it. It was the same Autumnal scene that I saw in the painting that hung on the wall of my sister's apartment in my dream. I knew that in reality, my sister would never have had this hanging on her walls. I remembered waking up from the dream, knowing that this painting wasn't real, but yet, here it was.

Again, the painting seemed to draw me in. I was having a hard time pulling away from it. I was seeing the bodies popping up like hidden pictures throughout the painting. I lost count after thirty. The smells of blood, flesh, smoke and fire was filling my nostrils. I was choking from the smells. It was overwhelming. The screams grew louder in my ears, with each passing moment that I stared into the horrible picture. I thought I heard Peter speaking to me, but he was so distant and garbled. The world around me began to blur, and before I knew it, my head was spinning, the room grew dark, and everything around me blacked out.

I even had the feeling of falling...


	6. Welcome Aboard

We decided that it would be best if we only sent up two people to look around. We didn't know what we were dealing with, as this ship has been missing since the late sixties. We also knew enough to know that it could be a deathtrap waiting to happen, if there were too many people walking about, and because we had Troy and Ryan, I knew that something bad was going to happen, whether it was a mistake or not, I didn't want that on my plate of things to deal with.

Peter and I were the ones to go on board. When we set foot onto the rusted deck plates of this vessel, you could see the weather-worn metals, and the frayed ropes that were tangled among the ship's deck. We slowly and carefully inched our way across the cluttered deck, and toward the door that would allow us access into the great unknown.

I heard my walkie turn on," Ellie, just remember to give us updates periodically...We don't want anything to happen to you guys."

"Thank Jerry, I didn't forget," I replied into the receiver, and then lowered it back to my belt. I looked over my right shoulder at Peter," Ready?"

We walked through the door, and turned our flashlights on. The strange thing about being on this ship, was how dirty, yet organized this ship was. We flashed our lights around the room, as we stood deathly still. We didn't want to make any wrong steps, as we weren't sure the exact condition of the vessel.

Suddenly, chills ran down my spine. We could hear wind whipping through the broken windows. Peter must have seen the fear creep upon my face, as he suggested in a timely manner," Perhaps we should head back..."

I nodded in agreement, as we turned to leave. That's when my eyes fell upon something that was very familiar to me. Instead of walking out the door and back to the safety of our vessel, I walked towards this painting that hung on the wall, across the room.

Peter had reached the metal door, and stopped when he heard my footsteps walking away from him. He turned to see where I was headed," What are you doing? Let's go back."

"Give me a moment," I replied, without looking at him.

I stopped in front of the painting and gazed at it. It was the same Autumnal scene that I saw in the painting that hung on the wall of my sister's apartment in my dream. I knew that in reality, my sister would never have had this hanging on her walls. I remembered waking up from the dream, knowing that this painting wasn't real, but yet, here it was.

Again, the painting seemed to draw me in. I was having a hard time pulling away from it. I was seeing the bodies popping up like hidden pictures throughout the painting. I lost count after thirty. The smells of blood, flesh, smoke and fire was filling my nostrils. I was choking from the smells. It was overwhelming. The screams grew louder in my ears, with each passing moment that I stared into the horrible picture. I thought I heard Peter speaking to me, but he was so distant and garbled. The world around me began to blur, and before I knew it, my head was spinning, the room grew dark, and everything around me blacked out.

I even had the feeling of falling...

* * *

**A/N: I finally had a moment to update! Yay! I am about 95% unpacked! I hate moving. I know that this was a really short chapter, but I wanted the cliffhanger! Hopefully, now that I am almost completely settled, I can focus on writing again! Fingers crossed!**


	7. A Conversation Run Short

_ A voice spoke to me in the dark," What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to come here?"_

_ I opened my eyes slowly. The light was blinding, so I was forced to squint, until my eyes had adequate time to adjust. Once my eyes grew accustomed to the bright light, I slowly sat up. My head ached, as I reached to touch it._

_ "You got yourself a nice bump, there," the voice stated._

_ "What happened?" I asked. I realized after I asked that question, that the first question that I should have asked was to find out who I was talking to._

_ The voice replied," You don't remember?"_

_ I sighed, still holding my throbbing head," Not really..."_

_ Suddenly, there were footsteps approaching me. I turned to look behind me, and saw the speaker. The man walked to the front of me, and knelt down before me," Ellie."_

_ "James..." I muttered back._

_ He laughed," No one has called me, James, in a really long time."_

_ "Should I call you, Munder, instead?" I asked curiously._

_ He smiled warmly at me," I like hearing my name coming out of your beautiful mouth."_

_ I chuckled," Out of practice?" When he just laughed again, I asked," What happened?"_

_ He suddenly grew serious," You were being drawn into that painting."_

_ "That was the same painting from before..." I recalled._

_ He nodded," The same. It's not a normal painting."_

_ "What does that mean?" I questioned._

_ "It means that it is commanded by something sinister. Something powerful wants you dead," he explained._

_ I was confused," Why would something want me dead? Who or...What, is this thing?"_

_ Munder helped me to my feet as he explained," Do you remember when I told you about Ferriman?"_

_ "That was the name you said when you talked about everyone on board your ship getting killed," I remembered._

_ He nodded, gravely," That's the name. He works for the underworld...basically, Hell."_

_ "Hell?" I raised an eyebrow._

_ He replied," I know how this sounds, but stick with me for a moment..."_

_ The lights began to flicker, and faint voices were heard around us in the brightly lit room. I looked around, trying to figure out where they were coming from._

_ Munder grabbed my shoulders," I don't have much time. I need to tell you too much. Someone is trying really hard to make sure that you end up dead."_

_ "I still don't understand-" I was cut off._

_ "They want to take you in place of your sister, because they can't get to your sister anymore!" Munder practically shouted at me._

_ The voices grew louder, and the lights were growing dimmer._

_ I closed my eyes, feeling as though I were waking from this dream._

_ Munder shook my shoulders a little," Stay with me! Don't wake up, yet!"_

_ Before I had a chance to obey him, I was ripped from his grasp, and I felt like I was falling into the black, again. The last thing I remember, was the look on his face._


	8. Missing Something?

I woke up, surrounded by most of the crew from my little tugboat. I scrunched my face in pain as I sat up, with the help from Peter. I looked at them," What?"

"That's what we want to know," Jerry stated as he stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

I looked over at Peter, clearly confused," What's he talking about?"

"You passed out," he replied.

"I...what?" I couldn't remember what happened.

Peter explained," You were looking at that painting," he pointed to the painting behind him," then when I called out to you, you fell to the floor, unconscious."

It all came back to me. I knew that it was crazy, but I felt like maybe the dreams that I was having were real. What if there was some correlation between what my sister went through, the dreams, and that blasted painting? I suddenly felt like I wouldn't be able to trust anyone, until we got off the ship.

I tried to stand, when Ryan placed a hand on my shoulder," I wouldn't get up just yet," I felt a burning sensation as Ryan touched me, causing me to squirm from his touch," You have a really big gash on your head."

My right hand flew to my head instinctively, and felt the sting of an open cut. I looked down at my fingers when I removed them from my head, and sure enough, they were slightly red with my drying blood.

Suddenly, a thought came to me," How long have I been out?"

"Only a minute, maybe two," Jerry replied," Why?"

"Felt like longer, I guess," I said, not sure how to answer his question, without having to discuss my dream conversations with a dead man.

As I sat there on the dirty floor of the Baychimo, I could hear faint footsteps running towards us. All of us looked up to see Troy practically falling into the room. He looked pasty white, as though he had just seen a ghost. He was struggling to get any words out.

Jerry asked with sincere concern," What is it, Troy?"

Ryan must have thought that Troy was at it again, with another joke, as he asked him," What's wrong, Lassie? Timmy fall into the well again?"

Jerry, Peter and I looked at Ryan, who was smiling at Troy, awaiting the punch line to his joke.

Troy still couldn't speak, so I struggled to get up. Jerry and Peter eventually helped me to my feet, and I suggested," I think we better go see what has him speechless, as this never happens."

I threw my right arm over Peter's shoulders as we followed Troy back through the decks.

When he stopped at the edge of the ship, he pointed down over the side.

We approached the side of the ship, and I removed my arm from Peter's shoulders and supported myself against the railing of this vessel. I peered over the side, and immediately saw why Troy looked so sick.

Our little tugboat was missing.


	9. Creating a Plan

All of us just stood there, staring over the side of the rusted ship we were suddenly stuck on, watching the dark waves roll past us. I opened my mouth and closed it, twice, trying to speak, but not knowing how or what to say.

Ryan spoke first," Where's the boat?"

It took all of my effort not to roll my eyes, as they were too busy blinking, hoping to see it, just a few feet up from where we anchored it.

For the first time since we saw him, Troy glared at Ryan and snapped," What the hell is wrong with you, man? What do you think? It's gone!"

"Did you anchor it properly?" Ryan lashed back.

I finally let out the breath I was holding, not realizing that I had been holding my breath. I took my arm from Peter's shoulders and slowly turned to face the two of them.

Jerry was cautiously approaching them, trying to make some space before one of them were to attack the other," Let's cool off, now."

Ryan smacked Jerry's hand away from him," No. It's his fault! It's his fault that our ship is gone!" Ryan tried to make a move towards Troy, but Jerry stepped in between the two of them.

As a reaction, Troy began to approach the angry Ryan, in pursuit of accommodating the urge to fight. I shouted," Enough!"

Stunned, everyone looked at me. This was the first time that I had ever raised my voice, and with such power too. It scared me a little. I was always the meek mouse in the corner, whilst my sister was the one who exerted the power.

Calmly, I stated," We need to figure out how to fix this...not fighting with each other. Jerry," I looked over at him, as he approached me," Call the coast guard. We are going to need a lift off."

Jerry nodded," I'm not sure where we are exactly, but I can give them a ball park figure to start."

I nodded back in agreement, as he walked away," Peter," I had his attention, as always, he was dependable and faithful. It's the reason that I've always liked him best. I turned to him," We're going to need to take inventory of any useful supplies on board. I'm not sure how long we're going to be here, so we better know what we have on our side."

Peter nodded, and headed inside, and I shouted after him," Take Ryan with you!"

Ryan peeled his glaring eyes away from Troy, and to me. He was about to protest when I shook my head," We're all going to have to work together, Ryan. Please."

He stormed off, looking like a two year old, to follow Peter.

I looked at Troy, who approached me," What about me?"

I sighed," Start looking through the decks. See if you can find anything useful, or rooms that we can crash in, if we need it. Keep in touch, okay? We don't know how bad this ship is."

"Why are you giving me this warning, but none of the others?" he questioned me.

I smiled," Because they're not you."

I watched as he walked away from me. I was left, standing alone, on the deck of this ship, that I was no longer sure about. How does a ship that is properly anchored, just disappear?

I hadn't noticed the sounds of thunder approaching me, quickly. The wind chilled my skin, and had picked up significantly. I shuddered.

I was lost in my own mind, thinking of everything, questioning things, and wondering what was going to happen. Would I end up like my dear sister; crazy and alone in a mental ward?

The only thing to bring me back to reality was the bone-shaking boom from the thunder which had quickly followed the bright blast of light above me. Rain immediately poured down on top of me, drenching me within seconds. I blinked and shuddered. I zipped my jacket up and headed towards the door that would lead me to safety from the storm.

I took a step forward. The rusted deck plates were so slick, I slipped backwards. I tried to steady myself, but it was pointless. Feet up in the air, head hit the deck, and I was out cold, in the pouring rain, on a lost ship, rolling on the stormy sea.


	10. More is Revealed

_I opened my eyes and I see the concern so evidently in Munder's eyes, as he towers over me.. I blink a few times, to bring myself to the now. I sat up, and Munder knelt down in front of me," Are you all right?"_

_ I clear my throat, feeling like I'm choking on something," I'm fine...I think."_

_ As if he was reading my mind, he replied," You slipped. You need to be more careful." He stood up, extending a hand towards me. I take his hand, which is warm to the touch, and he pulls me up on my feet._

_ Suddenly, I remembered what he had said in the previous meeting with him. I asked," What did you mean when you said that they wanted to take me in place of my sister?"_

_ He glanced over at me," I'm surprised that you remembered our conversations."_

_ I couldn't help but roll my eyes," I'm talking to a dead guy, how can I not remember that?"_

_ He smiled," Well, I'll talk about that later, but you asked a question." I looked confused, because I know, I felt confused. He stated," You're sister is in a hospital. She's so mentally bound there because of all of the medications they are pumping into her system, that there is no way they can gain access to her."_

_ I swallowed, feeling that I was choking still," What do you mean, they can't gain access? Who are we talking about? This-this Ferriman?"_

_ Munder shook his head," I wish it were that simple. Ferriman is only part of the problem."_

_ "What's the rest of the problem?" I questioned._

_ Munder sighed as he walked to stand in front of me, closely. He replied in almost a whisper," There are minions at work...demons, if you will."_

_ "Demons?" I asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow._

_ He nodded," I know what you're thinking, and it's crazy, I know. Believe me, do I know. The thing is, you cannot trust anything you see on ship-"_

_ Before he could continue talking and explaining things to me, I was coughing so hard, that I was doubling over, trying to breathe._

_ Munder grabbed my shoulders, and tried to help me. I fell to my knees, still coughing, and suddenly, he was gone._


	11. Off to Find the Missing Men

I choked on the rain water as I woke. I was soaked to the bone. I slowly sat up, feeling the back of my head, and checking for blood. My hand was clean, but I realized that I had been on the deck during the storm for some time. It was possible that any traces of blood, had washed away.

I stood up cautiously, and managed to stumble to a rail to hold onto. The storm hadn't let up any, in fact, it seemed to be getting worse. I took small steps towards the door to the cabin. Once I reached it, I was able open in.

Once I was inside, I stood eye to eye with Ryan. "What happened to you?" he asked with concern in his voice. I couldn't tell if it was sincere or not.

"Where's Peter?" I suddenly grew concerned for him.

Peter's voice rang from across the room," I'm here..." When he walked around the corner, where I could see him, his face grew pale," My God...what happened to you? Are you all right?"

He reached for me, and I shook him off," Why aren't you guys taking inventory?"

Peter lowered his arm," We've already done so..."

"Where have you been for the past two hours?" Ryan spat out. I blinked at him.

I mumbled," Two hours?"

Peter nodded," We were ready to come look for you. What happened?"

I sighed, then shook my head," I don't know. I just need to rest for a moment." I walked slowly to a chair, and sat down. I asked once situated," What did you find?"

Peter explained," We would have enough to survive on board for about two or three days." He passed a piece of paper to me.

This is one of the reasons that I love Peter. He doesn't do anything half assed. He had the entire ship inventoried and labeled carefully on this piece of paper. Things that mattered to our needs, to things that we might be able to use. I handed it back to him, smiled warmly," Good work."

Ryan asked," Where's Jerry? Has he contacted the coast guard yet?"

I licked my cracked lips," Where is everyone else?"

Peter stated," Well, I know that Troy is off sulking somewhere. I haven't heard from Jerry in a while."

I grabbed the radio from Peter's belt. I turned it up and pushed the receiver," Jerry, please come in."

Static. Silence.

"Jerry, what's the status?" I tried again.

The radio crackled. Silence.

I changed the frequency and tried again," Jerry. Troy...someone answer me, please."

Sighing, I handed the radio back to Peter. I stood up, and he held onto my elbow to help stabilize me. I nodded my thanks, and began to walk away.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Ryan questioned.

I turned and replied calmly," I'm going to see where they are. I want you to stay here. I'll be back soon." And with that, I turned and headed into the great unknown of the lower levels of the ship. What was beyond the main cabin, no one would have been able to prepare me for. I wasn't even expecting it.


	12. It Comes for Me

The Baychimo was a cargo steamer. It wasn't a small ship, but it certainly wasn't a cruise ship, either. I knew that trying to find two men on this ship, wouldn't take long...or at least, shouldn't take long. I started from the bow of the ship, and I didn't hear anything. I checked rooms, and closets. "Jerry! Troy!" I shouted. My words bounced off the metal walls of the ship.

Instead of hearing one of them shout back to me, I heard the ship groan in response. Every hair on my body, stood at attention. Suddenly, I was afraid. This ship was a ghost ship, so the legends go, and it could be possible that something was left behind. I shuttered to think of what that could be.

I started to quickly walk towards the back of the ship. I didn't want to stay in that spot a moment longer. I shouted again," Jerry! Troy!"

I thought I heard a whisper from behind me, and I stopped to listen. As I stood there, in the darkened halls of the ship, I turned my flashlight towards the front of the ship, where I had just come from. Nothing.

The flashlight began to flicker out. I muttered under my breath," No...no. Come on..." I hit the case a couple of times, trying to keep it on. The bulb blew out.

I looked up when I heard the sounds of metal scraping on metal. My breathing grew shallow and rapid as I waited, not sure of what to do.

Suddenly, I could see sparks from whatever it was scraping against the ship's hull. Whatever it was, it was coming straight at me.

Keeping my eyes on the sparks that were coming closer, I backed away, feeling my way to safety...wherever that may have been, when suddenly, they stopped. My eyes darted around the dark trying to spot them again, or see movement, anything, to alert me to danger. My heart was beating so hard, I thought that it would break my ribs. Letting out a slow exhale, I took one step back, and my ears were filled with a spine chilling, agonizing scream. It was so loud, and so scary, I fell to my knees, covering my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to drown it out, but it was too loud, too close.

When the scream finally died down, I opened my eyes, lowering my hands from my ears. I glanced up, and saw legs standing before me.

Before I could make eye contact with whoever was standing before me, I felt as though I were being thrown down the stairs that led into the crew quarters deck. I tumbled down the six metal steps, and hit the landing. I quickly glanced up, and saw the shadow of that person moving towards the stairs.

Knowing that this person was after me, I scrambled to my feet, and bolted down the crew passage as fast as I could. I reached the end of the hallway, and turned around. I froze, not knowing what else to do. I could hear the scraping of metal against metal again, and I knew that I was done for. Whatever was after me, wanted to kill me, and I was trapped in the dead end hallway, with no where to run.


	13. My Rescuer, My Friend, My Ally

As I stood there, feeling the descent of my demise, I heard one of the doors near me unlatch, but I didn't see which one. I was still staring at the sparks, and it wasn't until I could make out the mangled face, and the blood that dripped out from the festering wounds on this man's forehead, that I felt a warm hand grab my shoulder, pulling me backwards.

I stumbled into this room, and fell to my knees, from the force in which I had been tossed. I heard the heavy door close behind me, latching and locking. I scrambled to my feet, twirling around to protect myself, when my eyes fell upon a familiar body.

"Are you all right?" this familiar man asked before turning around to me.

When our eyes met, I gasped, "Munder?" He smiled, and I asked, "Did I- did I hit my head again?" I was confused. Each time that I met Munder, I was asleep, or I hit my head...either way, I don't remember doing either.

He laughed. "No. No, I'm really here."

Confused, I pondered, "How is that possible?" He was about to answer, when I asked the obvious, "Are you a ... a ghost?"

Laughing at me again, he replied, "No."

"I don't understand. You're dead...aren't you?" I questioned.

He grew serious and stated, "No. I'm not. Look, I've been trying to tell you this for a while. Each time we've had time to talk, something takes you away from me."

"Takes me away from you?" I was lost.

He explained it calmly, "I need you to listen. Okay?" I nodded as he continued, "I am not dead. I thought that I was, but it's a facade. Your sister believes that everyone in her crew had died, and they did, except us. You remember when I told you about Ferriman?"

"You've mentioned the name, but never did explain to me his connection," I stated.

"Ferriman was the man who brought us out into the Strait to salvage the Graza. We fixed his ship, but it wasn't until Murphy found out that Ferriman was responsible for the Graza's disappearance and all the deaths on board. He killed our crew. Your sister managed to survive..."

"What about you?" I asked, making sure to keep some distance from him.

"Ferriman lost the Graza. He had a suspicion on what your sister was up to. He kept me alive, making everyone see my death, so they wouldn't question him, and he kept me here, to keep this ship afloat," he took a breath.

"Why would he keep you alive? I don't understand..." I was confused.

He sighed, "I'm the best spot welder there is. He needed someone to fix his back up ship...this one, and he knew that the Graza was a lost cause. Now, because he can't get to your sister anymore, he's trying to take his wrath out on you. I won't let him."

"Why would he take his wrath out on me? I didn't do anything wrong..."

"He doesn't care. The only way that he can be in the good graces of his management, is to take someone whose soul hasn't been tainted yet," he looked at me with such seriousness as he added, "You."

I crossed my arms across my chest. "I don't think I understand. What do you mean that my soul hasn't been tainted yet?"

Munder smiled. "You're one of the rare people with such a pure being. He can't control you...which makes you powerful against him. If he can get you to succumb to his will, then he wins."

"But I don't know a Ferriman!" I practically shout.

"He might be under a different alias. Do you remember when I said that demons make you believe or see things that they want you to?" I nodded as he continued, "See, he's a demon. He could be a completely different person, or just looks slightly different. He could be tricking you into believing that your crew members are missing, and your boat, too."

"How do you know all of this? How do I know that you're not this- this Ferriman, playing tricks on me? Making me believe that I'm talking to Munder?" I questioned.

Munder approached me, and I uncrossed my arms, slowly backing away from him. When I backed into the wall, I had no choice but to raise my hands in a defensive manner. He looked at me, with kindness. "I'm not going to hurt you, Ellie. You know me..."

He placed his right hand against me cheek. It was warm, and full of life. It felt like the hands of the same man that I once knew to come to our house. My eyes flickered closed as I leaned my head into his hand. "You're really alive, aren't you?"

I heard him whisper, "I won't let anything happen to you."

My eyes opened to see his gazing down at me. "What if you can't stop him?"

"I can," he stated.

"But what if you're not with me and something-"

He cut me off, "I'm not going anywhere."

I pulled away from him, "You won't be able to be there every moment, James. What will happen then?"

He didn't answer directly, "I'll do my best to make sure that never happens."

I sighed, realizing that would be the best that I could get from him. I started to approach the door. I stopped and put my ear against it, listening for the scraping sounds. Nothing.

"He's not there anymore," Munder stated.

I looked over at him. "How do you know?"

He walked up to me. "He's not there. He's most likely looking for someone else."

"Troy...Jerry!" I unlocked the door, and started to open the door to leave, when Munder put his hand against the door, closing it on me. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" he asked. "If you're going out there, then just take it easy. Doing things quickly will get you killed. Let me go first."

He moved me out of the way, and slowly opened the door. He stepped out into the hallway, extended his hand. "Come on."

I took his hand, and he led me down the hallway towards the stairs that would lead us back up to the cargo decks.


	14. Voices, Blood & Death

We got up to the cargo decks and started to make our way towards the back, searching for my missing members. Suddenly, I had to ask, "Who was that man back there?"

Munder didn't turn around, but kept his eyes peeled for any unwanted visitors to pop out on us as he explained, "He was the first mate."

"First mate?" I asked confused.

"Of the Baychimo," he clarified.

I whispered, "Oh..." then I added with a little more voice, "He didn't look like he was that old..."

Munder chuckled, "What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. I mean, this ship has been missing for over 80 years..."

"Ghosts don't age, Ellie," he laughed.

I blushed as I muttered, "That's not what I meant..."

Munder stopped dead in his tracks, causing me to run into him.

"What the-" I started.

He turned and shushed me. Listening for something, he whispered, "This way."

He grabbed my hand and led me down the corridor slowly.

We turned the corner, and he let go of my hand. There was a light shining from under one of the doors, and there were faint voices.

I watched as Munder reached out for the door. I grabbed his free arm, and as he turned to face me, I mouthed, "Don't."

He motioned to me that it was fine, and I released him, but stayed close to him. He turned the latch and pushed the heavy door open.

We stepped over the threshold, and my eyes fell upon the bloody scene. My left hand flew to my mouth, to keep myself from crying, screaming or throwing up, I don't know.

My eyes met the eyes that I had come to know in such a short year. The familiar voice spoke, "Ellie? What took you so long?"

"Jerry!" the word choke out. I walked shakily over to him.

He was lying on the ground, using the cord to his radio as a tourniquet around his left thigh.

"What happened?" I asked slightly panicked. I had to keep calm, and I didn't want to start crying, not now.

"Didn't you get my calls?" he asked, clearly frustrated.

I was afraid to touch him, especially after his sudden outburst of anger. I replied quietly, "No. I didn't."

"Who's this?" he glared at Munder, who was standing behind me.

"He's a friend," I stated, not looking at Munder. "What happened to you? Where's Troy?"

Jerry tried to laugh, but choked, "I don't know where that ass went."

"Hey..." I said, trying to calm him down.

He snapped at me, "Don't! You don't get to be motherly now!"

"Just tell me what happened! I'm here now!" I shouted back at him. I was starting to get annoyed by his anger that was clearly misplaced.

He took in a deep breath and stated, "I was about to call the coast guard, but I ended up getting a call from Troy, who sounded really freaked out, scared out of his mind. He didn't sound like himself. I headed down here to find him. When I came into the room, I didn't see him, but I found someone else."

"Who?" I asked, as I started to reach for his wound, which he deflected.

"Don't touch it," Jerry spat.

"Sorry..." I withdrew, and stood up, observing the area, as Jerry continued.

His voice waivered, "I walked into a trap, I think. There was a trip cord, over there."

He pointed to the opposite side of the room, where another door led out to another cargo room.

He continued, "I was following this person, and when I stepped on it, I heard the cargo hook slide down and it hit me in the leg. I finally managed to get the hook out and I had to use the cord to my receiver to keep from bleeding out."

"Who was the person? Was it one of ours?" I asked.

Jerry laughed, "No. For all I know, it could have been this joker!" he motioned to Munder.

Munder looked down at him as he stated, "I've been with Ellie the whole time."

I looked over at Munder, suddenly questioning things.

He must have seen the doubt in my eyes, because he shook his head and mouthed the word, "No."

I blinked a couple times, and asked, "Have you seen Troy?"

Jerry shook his head.

Munder suddenly asked, "Who were you talking to?"

Jerry glared at Munder and questioned, "What are you talking about? I've been here by myself."

I saw something in Jerry's eyes, whether it was fear or doubt, I couldn't say, but I asked, "We heard voices before we walked in. Jerry...if you weren't talking, then who was?"

Jerry sighed, "The radio. I don't understand it, but I've turned it off, pulled the battery out," he pointed to the battery that he must have thrown across the room, "and I have the cord wrapped around my leg, for crying out loud! I don't know how it's possible!"

"What have the voices been saying?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"They speak in riddles, or tongues. I don't understand them," he stated.

Munder stepped next to me, peering down at Jerry. "Try to remember."

Jerry, as annoyed as he was, bit his tongue. "Um...something like... Doden ar..."

Before Jerry could continue, the radio static screeched loudly and then there was a scary disembodied voice speaking, "Döden är på min dörr. Döden skrattar åt min dörr. Döden har rört min själ. Jag Döden."

Just as quickly as it started, it stopped.

Jerry looked at us and said, "That...that's what it's been saying."

I shook my head as I replied, "I don't understand..."

Munder nodded as he exhaled, "I do. I know what's being said."

"What is it, James?" I questioned.

Munder looked like he was growing pale as he recited the spoken words of the disembodied voice, "Death is upon my door. Death laughs at my door. Death has touched my soul. I am Death."

When he finished his recitation, the ship groaned, and rocked. I gasped, and grabbed Munder's arm, for balance.

Once the ship settled, Jerry asked, "Do you have your radio?"

I reached down to grab it, but it was gone. "I had it right here..."

"Ferriman..." Munder stated with a tone of disgust.

I looked at him and asked, "What do we do?"

Munder looked at me, then down to Jerry. "Can you walk?"

Jerry shrugged as he admitted, "I haven't tried, why?"

"We need to get you out of here. Keep everyone together." Munder looked at me and asked, "You said that you had others in the bridge?"

I nodded as I replied, "Ryan and Peter are there. I told them to stay put so that I could look for the other two."

Munder bent down and got Jerry to stand on his good leg. "We're going to have to try and get you up on deck."

Jerry groaned in pain each time we tried to get him out of the cargo hold. Finally, he screamed in agony and pushed out of our grips, causing him to crash to the floor. He shouted, "No...I can't! It hurts too much! Just leave me here!"

"I can't do that, Jerry! I need you!" I stated, as I tried to get him back up onto his feet.

He swatted my hands away. "Stop it! Find Troy! Get the rest of them off this boat."

"No!" I shouted in my stubborn way.

He shouted at me, as he grabbed both of my arms, "Listen to me!"

I froze, as he had never handled me like this before.

He continued, "I'm not going to make it. That hook tore a good chunk out of my leg, and most likely hit one of the arteries. I have been bleeding out for a while, can't you tell?"

I honestly, hadn't noticed his pale skin, until now.

He cried, "I am not going to be any good to you. You need to leave me behind. Get the others to safety. Ellie..." I looked at him as he whispered, "Please...go."

When he saw that I wasn't going anywhere, as I couldn't just leave him, he looked up at Munder and ordered, "Keep her safe. Get her off this boat."

I suddenly realized what he was doing. Munder nodded. He grabbed me around the waist, hoisting me over his shoulder, and started to leave. I reached out to Jerry, as the tears fell down from my eyes.


End file.
